Suspected thief faces time for swallowing the crime

A Florida man faces burglary and tampering charges after an X-ray machine revealed a dark mass near his stomach while he was being booked into jail.

Twenty-one-year-old Joseph Ramos was arrested Dec. 11 when he was stopped for driving a vehicle that was stolen during a burglary in Safety Harbor, Fla., the previous day. Various items from the home were inside the vehicle.

When Ramos was being booked into jail, he stepped on the SecurPass X-ray machine and the dark spot was identified as two necklaces also stolen in the burglary. He underwent surgery to remove them. The owner later identified the items.

Jail officials have been using the X-ray machine since June to detect items concealed on inmates.